Amtrak’s Vermonter sees reduction in travel time due to improvements

Amtrak's Vermonter service will be running on a revised schedule beginning March 18, between St. Albans, Vt. and Washington, D.C., reducing overall travel time by up to 28 minutes.

The shortened travel time is the result of a recently completed two-year, federally-funded program, which provided for the upgrade and repair of a 190-mile stretch of track, signal and other key infrastructure equipment owned and maintained by New England Central Railroad.

"The Vermonter project to upgrade the New England Central Railroad mainline is a great example of a very successful public-private partnership, helping both rail passenger and freight services," said Raymond Goss, Sr., vice president of New England Central Railroad. "This project involved the Vermont Agency of Transportation, the Federal Railroad Administration and the railroad. We are happy to be part of this partnership."

As a result of these improvements, track speeds along the route within Vermont have been increased, from 55 mph to a maximum 59 mph north of White River Junction and from 59 mph to a maximum 79 mph south of that location to the Massachusetts border. Below the Vermont border, track speeds will remain unchanged. These efforts will reduce overall travel time and improve reliability.

"Due to the untiring efforts of our federal, state local partners, this important project was completed in an efficient and timely manner," said Joe McHugh, Amtrak vice president of government affairs and corporate communications. "This work also advances our commitment to provide faster, enhanced intercity rail service to our passengers."